Charlie,

As I looked at myself in the mirror, I wasn't exactly sure it was me.

I was shocked to adore it as much as I did, especially considering the hassle of shopping last month to buy a dress for the school dance.

It was the Spring Fling, a chance for girls to get dressed up and brag about dates. We talked about it for days and got all excited for it, talking about spending times with our dates and dancing our feet off. But, even if you had a date, the girls and boys separated in clumps as soon as we got there.

I hadn't wanted to go, but Emily-Rose somehow tricked me into it.

The dance wasn't bad, but it was shopping for the dress.

A week before, my mom and I went into Manhattan to look for the dress, and we went from place to place. It was torture and trying on different colors, different styles, and not even my genius mother could make it fun until we agreed to give up, went for pizza, and had my grandmother pick something out and bring it to us.

I could wear dresses, though I didn't often. But I wasn't good at finding formal…. Or enjoying wearing it much.

And now here I stood, in an overly expensive, overly decorated dress, and I felt… beautiful and even comfortable.

The dress was a perfect shade of blue and was soft on my skin, and there was one chiffon off-the shoulder sleeve and one short sleeve on the other side. The top was embroidered with a golden design, and the chiffon draped around me.

Even my messy blonde hair seemed to be prettier and more manageable because of the dress.

After I felt like I had stared at myself in the mirror long enough, I left my spacious room, and I started down the sweeping stairs to the living room where Apollo wanted us to meet him.

And then I saw him…

Aiden was in his room, the door cracked open, and he was dressed in a perfect suit. His blonde hair was still falling into his ocean blue eyes, and he had hidden the angel wings tattoo on his neck, as well as the Roman tattoo.

But he wasn't exactly what was drawing me to the door, though I admit that was part of it.

It was that music… That amazing music.

Bent over an acoustic guitar, he was proving his parentage, and the sound was so sweet my knees almost melted.

I knew I shouldn't, but I couldn't help but stop by the door and stare.

And then he looked up.

My brain stopped.

"Charlie, hey," he put away his guitar, and I was frozen there, knowing I should leave. But I couldn't help it.

"You're really good," I told him, and he shrugged.

"I haven't played in a long time…" Aiden stood, opening the door where he could see me better, and I could have sworn he gasped. But I wasn't exactly sure.

For the first time, I was noticing the scar between his jaw bone and the base of his neck.

From what that could have been caused by, I had no clue how he survived…

And then he caught me staring.

He put a hand to the scar and smiled weakly.

"My dad mentioned that I was a big military figure in New Rome. This is just what comes with it," Aiden, "I'm lucky to only have a few scars after all of the years I spent in the camp."

"How old are you?"

He smiled at the bold question.

"I mean, you look sixteen or seventeen, but, by the way you talk of your life, it sounds like you're older… and I was just wondering."

"I turned fifteen two months ago."

"Fifteen?" my eyes widened.

"Why do you look so shocked? How old are you?"

Suddenly, I felt kind of embarrassed to admit I was thirteen.

I was once again the youngest, the child out of budding young adults.

I had to admit that, even though it was only for the night, I had hoped that Aiden was somehow closer to my age than I had expected so that I would no longer be the middle schoolers surrounded by college students and college-age kids.

"Thirteen."

"Really?"

"You seemed shocked, too. I thought Uncle Jason talked about me," I crossed my arms.

"Yeah, he talked about five-year old you," he laughed, "Like when you wore your Little Mermaid costume every day for two weeks after Halloween."

I blushed and looked down to my feet.

"He didn't."

"Oh, he did. And that is not the worst of it."

"Who was Me-Mo?"

I froze, my eyes wide.

"I-I-" I looked up, staring at him.

He had a big playful smile, leaning on the door frame.

That awkwardness, which happened to be a big tip off that he didn't spend much time with girls, had evaporated, and it showed something I was actually beginning to like underneath it.

"How do you know about Me-Mo?"

Me-Mo was one of my favorite toys, the only gift from a godly grandparent that I could carry around instead of something that weighed more than me. I named it when I first saw Finding Nemo, and I thought all fish were named Nemo, though it was a mammal. And I couldn't say Nemo, so I said Me-Mo.

"Your Aunt Hazel just loves to talk, especially when Roma and Nicholas are playing. She gets all motherly, and, if you bring hot chocolate, she'll tell you anything."

I turned as bright red as possible, and I suddenly looked at him.

"Wait, why did you ask her about Charlie Jackson?" I crossed my arms.

"Actually, uh," Aiden stopped, "We were talking about Roma's doll, Mr. Snuggles."

"Mrs. Snuggles."

"Sorry, Mrs. Snuggles. Did I insult poor Mrs. Snuggles?"

"So are you their babysitter or something?" I asked, and Aiden shrugged.d

"Uh, yeah, I uh-"

He stopped because we both heard the sound of high heels on the hardwood floors, and my eyes shot back to Kate.

My eyes widened.

Kate was beautiful. I had known this for years, but now was even more proof of this.

Her long brown curls were let loose around her with a bobby pin holding it out of her grey eyes. Her long legs were shone off in her short dress, and her heels made her even taller. Though she complained that she was out of shape since she quit swimming last year, she was curvy and definitely not out of shape. Kate looked like her mother, though she had the same thick lips I had that we had both gotten from Athena.

No wonder Noah loved her so much…

Kate was everything I kind of wanted to be. She knew who she was, what she wanted to be, and how to push past the name of her family and friends to live up to. She wasn't still a thirteen year old trying to figure out who she was supposed to be.

Was I supposed to be brilliant like my mom? Impulsive but genius like my dad? Strong like my brother? Or could I even make any of the expectations put up to me by everyone?

"Hey," Kate walked up to the two of us.

"Hey, we should probably get downstairs," Aiden gave Kate the once-over that everyone gave Kate, but he didn't forget me about me like the older guys usually did.

"Sure," Kate nodded, and he closed the door behind him, leading us down the stairs.

"So, what's up with you and Aiden? What were you doing before we got here?" Kate smirked, nudging me.

"How was dessert with Noah?"

She glared at me, and I smiled as I walked down the stairs.

Noah,

Dinner was everything I expected.

Everyone looked great, especially Kate and Charlie. The food was delicious, each dish our favorite to each of us. And Apollo wouldn't leave Kate alone.

I knew that was going to happen, but it was a sealed deal when Apollo called Kate to sit beside him at dinner. It opened with him asking her about college, Adriane, and if she liked living in the dorms. It was small talk, but it was bearable. And then Apollo started talking about himself.

By desert, he was composing new poems about how amazing he is and testing them out with us.

"To be me

Is to never be lonely…" Apollo continued, forgetting about the chocolate cake in front of him as he focused on his favorite thing in the entire world, himself.

I looked across the table to Kate, who was smiling politely but continuously reaching for her glass of wine and rolling her eyes when he wasn't looking. She was trying to seem as interested as she had been before, but only Apollo couldn't see that she was growing tired of him.

Sam was drinking and not hiding it, motioning for a new glass with every new poem or new story about how awesome Apollo was. Occasionally, when it got really bad, I even saw him sneak out his smartphone and start texting.

And Charlie and Aiden were having a small conversation about Roma, Aunt Hazel's daughter.

They were getting along pretty well, becoming friends from what I could see. And I had this terrible nervousness.

I couldn't help but feel overprotective of my younger sister, Charlie. It was a new kind of feeling. I had been protective of her from monsters or having to grow up. Or even this…

But I felt a new kind of overprotective-brother feeling.

As if I should worry about them being together…

I shook off the feeling when I noticed Kate was looking back at me.

I smiled weakly at Kate, who motioned for her cell phone while Apollo began a new tangent about how he was thinking about publishing his collection of short poems about women he'd met all over the world.

Understanding what she meant, I took out my cell phone, and I noticed a text almost immediately.

And to think women love this…

-Kate

I smirked softly, and I typed back a response quickly.

If I remember correctly, you seemed to like it before the poetry started.

-Noah-

Kate looked up at me, raising her eyebrows.

She looked down to her cell phone, and Kate looked like she was about to type something back when Apollo finally snapped out of "Awesome Apollo Land" and realized we were all still here.

"Have you ever been to Rio, Dear?" Apollo looked over to Kate, smiling at her, and she moved her cell phone and sat up straighter to respond.

"No, I haven't," Kate nodded, and Apollo smiled.

"You would love it. I actually met this one man, Alex. He had moved from America to open clubs in Rio, and he just retired back to America, with his new wife, Sofia. Alex and I are pretty close, though he wouldn't be if he knew about my night with Sofia right before they got engaged," Apollo was getting off topic again, "Anyway, he just retired around here with Sofia, and he opened a club around here to get out of the house so he doesn't have to handle their son, Angelo, all the time."

Apollo looked to all of us, and he smiled.

"I wanted to go tonight, and I wanted to know if you guys would like to come," Apollo smiled his seductive smile at Kate, "This is your last night before you have to go on with your quest, and I thought you might want some fun."

"Um, Charlie's not old enough," I pointed out quickly.

"Oh, of course. Aiden was going to a movie tonight, and I was expecting that she would want to go with."

"Uh, sure," Charlie pushed her hair behind her ear.

"How about you three?"

"I'm in," Sam put his phone in his pocket, smiling happily.

Apollo looked to Kate hopefully, and she smiled weakly.

"That does sound great, but I was actually planning on taking a walk. Getting some coffee. Have fun though," Kate smiled weakly.

Apollo was disappointed, but he looked to me with a smile.

"How about you, Noah?"

"I don't think so, but thank you."

"Well then, Apollo looked back to Sam, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to change for the party."

Apollo stood.

"Same," Sam told us, and they both started off to their rooms.

"Do you guys need a ride?" I offered to Charlie and Aiden as they stood.

"I can drive," Aiden told me.

My eyes widened, and I stared.

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen," he shrugged.

I froze, and I watched Charlie and Aiden go upstairs.

When they were gone, Kate laughed at me, and I just kept looking back to the staircase, unable to get over it.

"He's fifteen?"

"Yeah."

"And he can drive."

"I heard."

"And he's driving my little sister."

"She's thirteen, not three, Noah," Kate reminded me.

"But-But, I mean, they are going to a movie."

"I've been here the entire time, Noah."

"It's just that-" I began, but Kate cut me off by standing.

"Come on," Kate putted a hat out of her bag, and, as she adjusted the beanie, I stood up beside her, "Let's go."

"You don't want to change?"

Kate crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows.

"You don't like this?" She looked down at the green dress.

"No, I-I do," I stuttered, blushing, "I just thought you might want to change shoes or something. Because it isn't comfortable…. Or, uh, if it is, then… uh, you can still wear it."

I knew I was the color of a tomato when I looked up to see Kate smiling at me, looking like she was about to laugh.

"You're laughing," I crossed my arms.

"No, I'm not," Kate shook her head.

"Yes, you are."

"Shut up, and start walking," Kate started walking to the door.

"Are you sure you want to wear the heels?"

"Yes, Noah."

"I mean, you always complain about your feet when you wear them. And I am not carrying you, you just need to know that."

"I am wearing the shoes."

"Are you sure? Because we are still here, and we have time to change. I could even change shoes to make you feel better."

"After sitting through that with Apollo, I need coffee. Do not mess with that, okay?" Kate raised her eyebrows, giving me the look of Don't-Mess-With-Me that often scared me and did right now.

"Understood," I raised my hands in surrender.

Kate,

"Let's stop for a second," I told Noah, leaning my head on his shoulder. My arm was wrapped tight around him, and I had been leaning on him for the last thirty minutes or so.

I wasn't sure whether he thought I was leaning on him because I was tired or romantic or that he had been right about the high heels and I was trying to play it off as romantic.

And I honestly wasn't sure either.

Somehow, when we were walking by the water, I just ended up with my arm around his, and I never really stopped. I just couldn't get myself to, I was too comfortable like this to ever think to move.

We had left the grand home of Apollo only an hour ago, and the moon was shining over us peacefully. The air was quiet in the park we walked by now, though we had also been through the busy and loud part of time through our exploration.

My plan had been to walk around for a small amount of time and grab some coffee. I just wanted to get out of the house, come back to the real world for a little bit and get away from the "God of Awesomeness, Apollo."

But we just never stopped walking…

It was so easy to just walk and talk. Even our silence was easy.

"You just want to stop because your feet hurt."

"It is not just because my feet hurt!"

"But your feet do hurt."

"Shut up and sit, Noah."

"You are mean when your feet hurt."

"Shut up, Noah Jackson."

He smirked but shrugged.

"Let's sit here," he motioned towards a bench, and I reluctantly let go of his arm to sit down.

I sat down, but then he didn't join me.

Instead, he got down on his knees, and I was staring as he took my foot, not sure if I should just stare or if I should kick him with the other foot.

I was about to ask what on earth he was doing, but then he slid off the high heel shoe from my foot.

I started laughing loudly, sounding like I was either insane or drunk.

And that was really how Noah made me. My old high school friend, Elise, used to call it Noah Crack. When we were alone, he made me a little crazy, a little loud sometimes, and definitely laughing. In high school, I never needed to do any drugs or drink a lot. I could just go spend a few hours with Noah and get almost the same effect.

I had forgotten how much I missed being around him. He was intoxicating, and I suddenly feared being taken away from him again.

And it was only day one…

"See, you're happier already," he smirked as he handed me my shoes, and I leaned on his shoulder when he sat down beside me.

"So I wonder what Apollo is doing right now."

Noah smiled.

"Well, after you broke his poor little heart by not going drinking with him," Noah smirked, and I laughed, "he's probably nursing his wounds with drinks and crying on the shoulder of some beautiful model."

"And I wonder what Aiden and Charlie are doing."

"Ugh," he threw his head back, "You went there."

"I mean, I'm not saying it's a date, but she will date sometime. You do need to know that."

"How did Sam let you date?"

"Let me date? You think I didn't see you guys following us. I'm not as stupid as you guys seem to think I am."

"We were hungry," Noah shrugged.

"Yeah, which is why you drove behind us to get there and sat at the table behind us. And then you followed us for ice cream."

"I like ice cream."

"Well, just know that I am not going with you to stalk Charlie on her first date. You are on your own, Mister," I warned him, and Noah looked back to the moon, silence filling the air.

I knew what he was thinking about.

He was worried that he would never get the chance. That he would forever lose that precious little baby we used to think was the most precious thing in the entire world.

I worried about the same thing, but I didn't say anything.

If anything, I worried that I would jinx it, that saying it out loud would make it real. And, if my fear became real, it would really happen. And…

I didn't know what I would do.

Sure, I was in college, and I didn't see her much.

But I was always talking to her somehow. And I was always coming to see her. And just about everything had something to do with her.

And I had no clue what on earth Noah would do without his little sister.

"She'll be okay," I told him, my voice barely above a whisper, "We handled quests."

But this felt different.

This was the Daughter of the Mind and Sea. The one that people had been hearing about for decades and everyone had worried about.

"Yeah, we did, didn't we?"

"It's three of us taking care of her. We'll be okay."

Noah's eyes stayed glued to the side.

"You know, for years, I have been told the story of The Mark of Athena. How Annabeth had all of these problems, but, in the end, it was only her that could fix things."

"But she is smart, and so is Charlie. She survived."

"But look where she and my dad ended up."

I looked down."

"She'll never be the same kid," Noah ran his fingers through his hair.

"Because she's not a kid."

He looked to me.

"We were a lot ahead of her when we were thirteen you know. You're acting like she's eight years old, and you can't do that. I mean, you have to let her grow up, it's what she wants. She just wants to stop being the little sister of Noah Jackson, the daughter of Annabeth Jackson and Percy Jackson, and become Charlie. And, to do that, she needs to find herself. And this seems like a pretty good opportunity."

Noah stared.

"Sam let me grow up."

"You're different…" Noah looked away from me.

I wasn't sure if he meant that I wasn't really his sister or that the situation was different or what, but I let it go.

After a long silence, I finally spoke again.

"You know, I sneaked a peak of a home theater back at the house. Maybe we could go back, make some popcorn, watch an old movie."

Noah nodded, smiling and taking the hint to move on.

"As long as you don't wear those shoes," Noah smirked as we both stood up.

"Shut up," I hip-bumped him, and he wrapped his arm around me.

"Do I get to hear my three favorite words?"

"That's not happening."

"No, not those. The other three."

I rolled my eyes.

"Tough luck, Noah."

"You're still not getting it right."

"I simply won't."

"You're getting closer."

"Shut up, okay?"

"No, you're cold again."

"Fine," I stopped, "You were right."

Noah smiled wide, and I leaned back on him.

"You're insane, Noah."

"You, too, Shorty."